Away From Home
by your knight in tinfoil armor
Summary: When Jack has to leave for America, Alex is left on his own. At least until MI6 comes in. Full summary inside


**Title:** Um, it really kind of needs a title, so, some help, please? 'Away From Home' is a tentative title.

**Author:** Me, or, kirskipkat, or Jack. I've even been called 'Hey, You!' so that goes too. Or that weirdo who does that timeline shit. Yeah, that's me.

**Rating:** Dude, I never have any idea how to do these… but this is pretty mild, so I'm thinking it'd be… T? Correct me if I'm wrong.

**Disclaimer:** "Any mention of '_Stormbreaker_', 'Alex Rider', any associated entites, or any copyrighted material pertaining therein is reasonably protected by the Fair Use Rule of the United States Copyright Act of 1976, and is not intended to infringe upon any copyrighted material." Um, that.

**Pairing:** Gen, so no pairing, really. Maybe some jokes, or illusions to one or a few, I don't know.

**Characters:** (this is for the whole story… I might further break it down by chapter, later) Present: Alex Rider, Alan Blunt, Mrs. (Tulip) Jones, Snake, Fox (Ben Daniels), Mr. (Derek) Smithers, John Crawley, Random Scorpia Members 1 & 2 (RSM, for short), Jack Starbright, Tom Harris. Mentioned (but not actually appearing… because, you know, most of them are _dead_): Yassen Gregorovich, A (Anthony).S (Sean).H (Howell)., Mrs. (Julia) Rothman, Nile, Jack Starbright's parents, John Rider (Hunter), Helen Rider, Ian Rider, Herod Sayle, Dr. Grief, Mrs. Stellenbrosh, Damian Cray, Major (Winston) Yu, the General, Sabina Pleasure.

**Word count: **1,202 about, not including these notes, but including the end ones.

**Warnings: **Um… angst, angst, angst. My bad writing skills. Spoilers for… well, just about everything. My obsessive compulsiveness with correct timelines, because after all that trouble I went through with them, by G-d I'm sticking to them. Also, I'm starting this – with ABNB's blessing, no less, which should come with its own warning – at about 1:30 in the morning. I'll probably stare at it in horror tomorrow after I get some sleep and think, 'What have I done?!'. Well, serves me right for starting another fic when I've already got all those other ones going…

**Summary:** When Jack's mother falls sick with an incurable illness, Jack leaves for America to spend time with them during her mother's last days. Unfortunately, Alex needs to stay in England, as he's already missed far too much school. So it's up to MI6 to find him a guardian while Jack is gone. Except... there isn't anyone available. So now Alex has to spend the next six months living out of Royal and General Bank. (After _Snakehead_, featuring MI6, K-Unit, and others, a bit angsty with some fun thrown in.)

**Author's Notes:** Well, a new story from me. (I am so dead) Nice, ain't it? I know, I _know_, I said I'd finish my timelines first and that I'd give you guys a choice about which fic you wanted, but, well, I lied. Sorry. I'm typing this up in Calibri font, size 9, just for the experience. Anyway, if this turns out bad, blame ABNB, she encouraged me! Also, I came up with this idea in the middle of reading a fic (which, by the way, reminds me, write more fics, people! I've resorted to reading reviews for AR fics for entertainment!), but I think it's a rather original idea. I hope. Anyway, just go read it. Also, I've been out of writing for a while, so I may be a bit rusty. Please, any mistakes you find, point them out, and I'll do my best to fix them.

**Feedback Y/N?:** YES. I need all the help I can get, so hit me with everything you've got, so long as it's helpful.

* * *

Alex Rider, unwilling 14 year old super-spy for the British Intelligence Services, knew something was wrong the moment he stepped into the hall of his house in Chelsea. School had ended half an hour ago and Alex had hurried home, his heavy bag a reminder of all the work he still had to catch up on. But even with his mind on the make-up work he had been given, he still noticed the silence. Usually, when he arrived home from school, Jack – his house-keeper and best friend. She had moved from America about 7, now almost 8, years ago, doing light chores and occasional baby-sitting to pay for room and board while she was a student. In the end, she hadn't left – was working, cleaning or cooking (even though she hated to cook anything that took longer than ten minutes), or at least the TV was on. But not this- _silence_.

Easing his bag off his shoulders – it would be too much of a hindrance if he had to fight, and with the way his life was going, that was all too high a possibility – Alex walked into the house, alert for any sign – or sound – that something was amiss, trying to be as silent as possible. He didn't call out – there might be someone there, and he didn't want to alert them to his presence - even though he desperately wanted too, to see if Jack was there, if she was alright. But he knew that if there was someone unexpected – i.e. not Jack – there, then he would need the element of surprise.

After walking through three rooms – the living room, the dining room, the hall – he found the thing that had made him so wary to enter his own house.

It was Jack, sitting at the kitchen table, a phone resting on the flowered cloth that covered the wood. But she was- different. For one thing, she was quiet. For another, she was sitting there, her head in her hands, staring at her lap but seeming to see 

nothing at all. Her usually bright red hair was dull and lay limp against her scalp. And finally, there was the one thing that worried Alex most of all; he could see faint tear tracks against the pale skin of her face, old and dry, but still noticeable.

Alex rushed in, his former caution forgotten in his worry over Jack. "Jack?" he called out hesitantly when he reached her, placing a hand tentatively on her shoulder. She seemed not to hear him, so he tried again, slightly louder. "Jack!"

She jumped, startled, and Alex could feel her stiffen under his hand. Then she caught sight of him and relaxed slightly.

"O-oh, Alex, it's you…" Jack said, her voice cracking so much so at first that she had to try again. Raising a hand she tried to subtly wipe the remains of the tears off her face. Wordlessly, Alex handed her a napkin. She took it.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked after a moment of silence, curious as well as worried about his long-time friend.

Jack flinched slightly. She remained silent for a moment longer, and then she took a deep breath, staring down at the white, cordless, phone that lay on the table. "M-my mother…" she started, and Alex was horrified to find that, once again, tears were welling up in her eyes, "Sh-she's si-sick. Cancer, the doctors' s-say…" she let out a sob at that, tears starting to run down her cheeks once again, "Oh god, Alex," her voice cracked, and she looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears, "They say she only has six months to live!" She latched onto him, now full out sobbing.

Alex remained silent, hugging her tightly too him, providing the only comfort he knew how to give.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Alex?" Jack asked as she loaded her luggage into the taxi waiting to take her to the airport, "You can still come with me, you know."

It was two days after Alex had found Jack sitting in the kitchen after a phone call from her father, and she was almost ready to make the trip back to America to spend time with her mother before she died. She had wanted to take Alex with her, but he had been against it. For one he hadn't wanted to intrude. And no matter what Jack would say about him not intruding, Alex knew he would be. He didn't know Jack's family, no matter how much he heard about them from Jack, and they certainly didn't know him. Besides, MI6 probably wouldn't let him go, and even if they did, the CIA would probably pull him off the airplane and have him work for them again. But he didn't tell Jack any of this. Instead, he told her something more acceptable, but still equally true: he couldn't afford to miss any more school. And it would be worth it to transfer to a school in the states when it was already halfway through the year. Not to mention the entirely different curriculum. In the end, even Jack had agreed that it would be best for him to stay in London. Not that that had stopped her from trying to convince him to go with her.

"No, Jack, I'll be fine," Alex lied smoothly. The truth was, Alex was starting to have second thoughts. Not about leaving with Jack, no, he hadn't changed his mind on that, or on the reasons he had decided not to go, but on the fact that staying put him back in contact with the MI6. Or, more specifically, Alan Blunt. But in the end, he'd had no choice. MI6 _was_ his legal guardian after all, no matter that something like that should be impossible. Everything seemed to be going fine, though, when he had called Mrs. Jones, the deputy head of MI6, she'd been certain that she would be able to find someone to look after him while Jack was gone. But Alex wasn't so sure it would go so smoothly. Nothing in his life ever did.

"Well… if you're sure…" Jack still looked uncertain, so Alex forced a smile onto his face.

"No, really, I'll be _fine_." He said, stressing out the last word, "MI6 won't be able to send me on any missions. If they try, I'll say no," he assured her. When she grimaced at him, he glanced at his watch. "You'd better hurry," he said, "You don't want to miss your flight."

Jack's eyes widened and she glanced at her own watch. And swore. "You're right! Sorry Alex! Make sure to call me when you get settled in!" With a quick kiss to Alex's forehead, Jack jumped inside the taxi.

Waving good bye, Alex watched until the small yellow car disappeared from view, then went inside to call Mrs. Jones. It was time to be picked up by his 'new guardian'.

* * *

Annnnnd that's the end of the prologue! So, what do you guys think? Also, any mistakes? Or is the whole thing just crap and I should redo it? Or is it so crappy I should just get rid of it? Critics welcome, as long as you've got somethign helpful to say! Anyway, good night!


End file.
